So my girlfriend has decided that she wants to start dove, duck and goose hunting with me this year. She has shot my Remington 870 pump 12 gauge before and handeled it fine but she is only about 5'5" and about 105-115 lbs. Im sure Im going to have to get her a youth model but Im not positive if a 12 gauge would be the best gun for her to be packing and shooting repeatidly..? Any thoughts or personal experience or recomindations?

thanks in advance

Cody

Escort makes a semi auto 20 gauge in a youth model I believe. That would probably work real well for her IMO. Welcom to the forum also.

I would say 20 gauge but I'm not so sure if duck or goose are being hunted. I would probably go with a semi auto in 12 gauge. That should reduce some of the recoil.

very true I just noticed that. 12 gauge if anything other than dove will be hunted.

+1 good gun for the money

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=98466

only if you like her a lot though.

Mossberg 500 youth in 20guage. Works great for the ladies.

My fiance is 5'4" 120 and shoots a Browning Cynergy o/u. It has extended choke tubes that are ported (helps reduce recoil) from Carlson's and it shoots like a dream, even with "waterfowl loads".

buddies girlfriend is about your girlfriends size both height and weight wise.

she shoots a benelli field grade 20 gauge and does fine with it

5'5 is a decent height, I'm 5'5-5'6ish and i shoot full size guns no problem

my wife uses a beretta 301 2 3/4 20ga.. and slaughters Duck and pheasants

I did just buy her a Benelli Monte.. b/c it handles 3in and the beretta doesn't and 2 3/4 steel in a 20 ga is a pain in the arse to try to find. Something to thnk about make sure if she going to use it to hunt ducks aslo make sure it has a 3 in chamber

Beretta 12ga 3901 RL is great for ladies. Forget all this Turkish crap people are spewing...

I'm 5'8, 115 pounds. For dove I use my Stoeger Condor O/U .12ga. Duck gun is my Mossberg 935, semi-auto. Also .12ga

Very happy with both and recoil is minimal.

+1 -- the 12ga 3901 Target RL is what my wife uses. If you can afford it - get one.

You're looking for two shotguns. A 20g for dove and a 12g for ducks/geese. You don't fire nearly as many rounds shooting duck and geese as you do on dove. Maybe a half-case a day on dove, nowhere near as much on ducks and geese. An 870 or Mossy Maverick/Bantam with a good pad, or an 1100, in 20g would be perfect for dove and early teal, and a light recoiling semi-auto in 12g for ducks and geese. She won't be firing enough rounds on ducks and geese through the 12g to beat her to death, whereas the same gun on dove might pummel her. As long as you keep her with 2-3/4" shells in the 12g semi-auto she'll be fine after the first dove season with the 20g. You could buy the pump 20g used and save some bank for the 12g semi-auto, either new or used.

A 12 gauge will rock her world shooting doves especially if they are flying good and it's hot and she's wearing light thin clothing, whereas a 20 guage will be all she needs and it won't make her wish she shouldn't have decided to take up the sport.

A 12 guage for any game bigger than doves, and usually duck hunting is done in cold weather where you have some padding and the shots aren't quite as fast and furious as the doves and fewer off balance shots.

A badly bruised shoulder isn't a good way to introduce her to hunting! JMHO!

I would bet lots of money that a 12ga gas auto like a Beretta would kick less than most fixed breach lightweight youth model 20gauges.

Stay away from the 870 youth

I'm 5'6" and weigh 108. I dove and duck hunt with a 20 gauge 870. Its not a youth gun. i do good with it.

I agree. You can find ones with a shortened stock also. I'm looking for one for my daughter, it's time she upgrade from the youth gun.

Rem 1100 12ga. Soft recoiling, light, works every time if you do your part.

The RL is standard with shorter stock ("RL" = Reduced Length). Elk Castle off 30 on west side Fort Worth had a couple of the Beretta 3901 Target RLs last time I was in there. The guys in there will treat you fair too.

10 Gauge Magnum with Slugs...

I would be more concerned with fitment than recoil, I think ya'll would be suprised as to what smaller statured folks can handle. Most smaller statured shooters handle it better on acount they don't try and brace/fight recoil they move with it acting as a buffer per say.

As long as she was comfertable with the gun as far as fit, I would not at all be concerned with recoil. In fact I would recomend a 12 gauge with the stock cut to properly fit her with a Sims Recoil pad, from there have the gun ported and the forcing cones lengthened. Your looking at about 350-450 to do all that on top of the gun, but it will fit her perfectly plus will be about 40-50% reduction in recoil wich those two factors coupled together will make her a better shot.

As mentioned its not like she will be shooting more than a box of full-bore magnum steel when she is Duck/Geese hunting, I'm sure she could handle it. Light dove loads are a cakewalk on that setup as well. Im a small guy at 5.5 and 150lbs this is what I run and it more than helped my ability to shoot scaterguns when it was actually fited for me.

12 ga auto for any goose hunting. 20 ga will not knock down a goose on a regular basis.